House Pegasson
House Pegasson is an Imperial Knight House of ancient provenance that is directly loyal to the Imperium of Man as a member of the Questor Imperialis. House Pegasson hails from the Knight World of Adrastapol as do House Draconis and House Minotos which whom House Pegasson maintains a strong and century-old alliance. On their homeworld, the Scions of House Pegasson are held in high esteem as they are considered the wisest and most educated of all Adrastapol's Knights, and their counsel is often sought by the other Nobles of the world. Following the treachery of House Chimaeros and House Wyvorn during the Donatos War, House Pegasson's strength was nearly extinguished. It took many Terran years for the House to recover from the severe losses it suffered on Donatos Primus. Among the more culturally conservative Imperial Knights, House Pegasson is unusual in that it is a firm believer in the equality of its male and female Nobles. Alone amongst the Knight Houses of Adrastapol, House Pegasson allows women to take up the mantle of House ruler and the Marchionnesses of House Pegasson have always proven among the most skillful leaders of the House. The current ruler of House Pegasson is Marchioness Lauret Tan Pegasson. She miraculously survived the destruction of her Knight during the Donatos War. With her newly kindled faith in the Emperor of Mankind, the Marchioness led the better portion of her House's strength to the aid of the other Knightly Houses of Adrastapol, ultimately allowing them to triumph over the Orks of WAAAGH! Killfist during the Second Ork War. House History House Pegasson is one of the eight Knight Houses that initially formed to rule the Knight World of Adrastapol. When the galactic civil war of the Horus Heresy reached their homeworld, the Knights of House Pegasson were part of the great coalition of Adrastapolian Knights which took to the field against the Questor Traitoris of House Hydrax and House Medusos. The Knight Houses of Adrastapol forged a grand alliance and fought in many Imperial campaigns. When the Ork Warlord Skarjaw attacked Adrastapol at the head of his WAAAGH!, House Pegasson stood shoulder to shoulder with the other Knight Houses but was powerless to prevent the destruction of House Manticos. Worse yet, it was the shortcomings of House Pegasson that permitted Skarjaw to break through their lines and assail the Draconspire, the fortress of House Draconis. Fortunately, the Gatekeeper of the Draconspire, Tolwyn Tan Draconis, acted upon his instincts and led a surprise attack against the Ork Warlord which slew both Skarjaw and the towering Squiggoth it used as a warbeast. Following the Ork Wars, House Pegasson continued to play its part in the alliance of the ruling Adrastapolian Knight Houses. The population of towering Squiggoths that remained on Adrastapol following the Ork invasion was hunted to extinction by the world's Nobles as well as the Feral Ork populations that soon emerged as the descendants of the survivors of Skarjaw's WAAAGH!. Alongside Houses Draconis and Chimaeros, House Pegasson also mobilised for the Imperial Galhorm Crusade, at the end of which the crown of the High King of Adrastapol passed from House Chimaeros to House Draconis. As the smallest of the Knight Houses of Adrastapol, House Pegasson never stood in the front ranks of the world's Nobles but always performed admirably in battle, in no small part thanks to the sizeable air force House Pegasson had established as part of its household armies. In marked contrast to other Houses such as House Wyvorn and House Minotos, House Pegasson never complained about their role on the battlefield, content to let other, more powerful Houses charge into the thick of the fighting where the greatest glory was to be won, but also where the greatest bloodprice would be paid. When the Imperium called upon High King Tolwyn Tan Draconis to gather his Knights and march upon Donatos Primus, House Pegasson naturally answered the call. Mustering its entire strength, House Pegasson fought in the devastating Donatos Uprising and suffered the most severe casualties of any House save for House Minotos. Severely depleted and always small in number, House Pegasson had barely recovered from the losses suffered on Donatos Primus when Adrastapol was invaded for the second time by Greenskins. As WAAAGH! Killfist ravaged Adrastapol, each House soon found itself beleaguered in their main strongholds. House Pegasson fared better than others and upon the arrival of an emissary of the High King, the Freeblade Knight known as the Knight of Ashes, hero of the Donatos War, House Pegasson began the reconquest of their homeworld, first freeing up the forces of House Minotos before breaking the enemy horde at the Siege of the Draconspire. At Present House Pegasson's crucial role in the Second Ork War and the validation of its policies have earned it the consideration of both House Minotos and House Draconis. Through the establishment of the War Council of Adrastapol by High King Danial, House Pegasson is now fully recognized as equals to Houses Minotos and Draconis. While the reconstruction of Adrastapol progresses, it would seem that High King Danial and much of House Draconis are already preparing to join the Knight of Ashes on his hunt for the Traitor Alicia Kar Manticos -- a venture that is on the cusp of becoming a full-fledged Imperial Crusade. It is however unknown if House Pegasson intends to join this crusade or if indeed it has been approached by other parties to do so. Notable Campaigns *'Horus Heresy (Unknown Date.M31)' - While the Imperium of Man tore itself asunder in the great interstellar civil war known as the Horus Heresy, Adrastapol had prospered under the aegis of High King Rhoderic Tan Chimaeros. But the taint of Chaos had also taken roots on Adrastapol as both House Hydrax and House Medusos openly declared for the Traitor Warmaster, Horus Lupercal, and waged a war of conquest that took a heavy toll on the remaining Knight Houses. House Pegasson dutifully joined its forces with those of the other Houses to defeat the Renegade Knights. *'Ork Wars (Unknown Date.M41)' - When the Ork Warlord Skarjaw led his WAAAGH! to the Knight World of Adrastapol, House Pegasson joined a large coalition of other knightly Houses under the aegis of House Chimaeros to defend their homeworld from the depredations of the Orks. Belonging to one of the most savage and feral tribes of his race, Skarjaw and his Orks rode to battle on towering warbeasts known as Squiggoths. These great beasts can easily pose a threat to Imperial Knights, a fact the defenders of Adrastapol became painfully aware of when House Manticos' ancestral home and fortress was destroyed by the Greenskins. To its eternal shame, House Pegasson let itself become embroiled in the fighting with the Orks and was unable to prevent Skarjaw and his retinue from breaking through their lines and reaching the mighty fortress of House Draconis, the Draconspire. Fortunately, the Gatekeeper of the Draconspire, Tolwyn Tan Draconis, acted upon his instincts and led a decisive counterattack which was able to slay Skarjaw and break the power and cohesion of his WAAAGH! However, the survivors of this invasion soon turned feral and scattered. In the years that followed, the Knights of Adrastapol mercilessly hunted down the remaining Orks and Squiggoths until their homeworld was declared purged from the xenos filth which had befallen it. *'Chondax Crusade (Unknown Date)' - All data redacted. *'Galhorm Crusade (Unknown Date)' - Very little is known about this obscure Imperial Crusade save that it was a costly battle for the Imperial troops involved and especially so for the Knights of Adrastapol. Following the death of the Kingsward, Gedric Tan Chimaeros, the crown of the High Kings of Adrastapol passed on to House Draconis. *'Donatos Uprising (Unknown Date.M41)' - Also referred to as the Donatos War, the conflict on the Industrial World of Donatos Primus marked House Pegasson's darkest hour. What started as a Chaos insurrection initiated by Chaos Cults loyal to the Word Bearers Traitor Legion soon turned into a bloody civil war when large portions of the Planetary Defence Forces switched allegiance and supported the Word Bearers invading their homeworld. The Imperium reacted with uncustomary swiftness, counterinvading Donatos Primus at the head of several regiments of Astra Militarum and the combined forces of the Knights of Adrastapol. Under the guidance of High King Tolwyn Tan Draconis, the Imperial troops soon pushed the insurrectionists back. In what was believed to be the final battle of this conflict, House Chimaeros and House Wyvorn betrayed their allies, catching them in a murderous crossfire which nearly brought about the end of House Pegasson and House Minotos. House Draconis escaped with less casualties but mourned the loss of High King Tolwyn. Following his betrayal, Viscount Gerraint Tan Chimaeros proclaimed himself High King of Adrastapol while House Pegasson openly supported the claim of Tolwyn's son, Danial Tan Draconis. Hard-pressed by the resurgent Traitors, House Pegasson suffered further casualties in an expertly conducted ambush by House Chimaeros, leaving it with but a handful of operational Knights. Despite their high rate of attrition, House Pegasson resolutely stood by its allies and joined them in a desperate but ultimately victorious attack on the enemy stronghold which broke the hold of Chaos upon Donatos Primus and which would see Donatos returned to the fold of the Imperium. *'Second Ork War (Unknown Date.M41)' - Barely five standard years after the successful conclusion of the Donatos War, Adrastapol was invaded by the numberless hordes of WAAAGH! Killfist. The Ork Warlord Gorgrok Killfist of the Deathskulls klan was a far cry from the savage Skarjaw responsible for the First Ork War. Great Ork combat walkers, from Gorkanauts and Morkanauts to Stompaz and even Gargantz, marched behind hordes of Orks in blue warpaint; whole squadrons of captured Imperial tanks kicking up dust alongside the Orks' own ramshackle creations. Like House Draconis, House Pegasson had considerably invested in expanding Adrastapol's surface to air defences and did not suffer as harshly under the first wave of Ork landing ships as did House Minotos. The mountainous terrain that makes up much of House Pegasson's domains proved a further hindrance to the Orks. While the lower fortresses were unable to stem the tide of Greenskins washing over the land, the Pegasson Household Militia bled the Orks for every base and pass they took, often collapsing the lower passes upon the Orks and burying thousands of Greenskins beneath gigatons of rubble. This defensive tactic proved successful and kept the Orks from laying siege to the Eyrie, House Pegasson's ancestral home and primary fortress. It was at that moment in the war that an emissary from High King Danial Tan Draconis made his way to the Eyrie. For many of the veteran Knights of House Pegasson, the emissary was no stranger. He was the High King's closest friend, the Freeblade known as the Knight of Ashes, a hero of the Donatos War. Led before Marchioness Lauret Tan Pegasson, the Knight of Ashes stated his intent to rally both House Pegasson and House Minotos to lift the Siege of the Draconspire where the High King was facing Gorgrok's personal horde. The Marchioness' Exalted Court was divided, with some counseling to trust in the inviolability of their fortress, while others also sought to convince the Marchioness to march upon the enemy. When Lauret finally pledged her support to the Freeblade's plan, she did so with barely 50 Imperial Knights, but with the support of the entire Pegasson Air Force, the finest pilots of all Adrastapol. Using House Pegasson's fleet of heavy bulk-landers to transport their Knights to the lands of House Minotos, the Imperial reinforcements reached that House's ancestral fortress, the Iron Maze, just as the Orks penetrated its outer defences. Disembarking on Heroes' Ridge, a tall hill overlooking the Ironfields, Marchioness Lauret led her Knights in a daring shock-assault, hemming the Orks between her force and the walls of the Iron Maze whilst her household air force made sure the Orks could not escape the hammer and the anvil. Despite heavy casualties, by the end of the afternoon the siege of the Iron Maze was lifted and the victorious Knights of House Minotos joined their strength to the forces under Marchioness Lauret's command. Together the two Knight Houses and the Freeblade force known as the Exiles made haste to the Draconspire where High King Danial Tan Draconis fought what he believed to be a desperate last stand. While the Ork Warlord was slain in personal combat by the High King, it took the slaughter unleashed by the reinforcing Imperial army and the destruction of the horde's remaining super-heavy walkers to fully rout the WAAAGH!. Follow-up operations lasted for well over a Terran year before the Knight of Ashes was able to resume his hunt for his mother, the fearful Chaos witch Alicia Kar Manticos. House Pegasson Territories The feudal domains of House Pegasson encompass the high plateaus and mountains of the western Adrapotine Mountains. It is an inhospitable region which explains why House Pegasson never had the numbers to rival the larger and more powerful Houses holding the fertile plains below. The Eyrie The ancestral home of House Pegasson is a network of fortresses established on the highest peaks of the Adrapotine Mountains called the Eyrie. The fortress is a striking example of Imperial architecture with several sub-fortresses established on neighbouring mountain tops surrounding its grand central keep. This primary fortification is linked to its various sub-fortresses at several levels by countless sky-bridges, walkways of transparent armourglass and armoured overhangs which from orbit give the Eyrie the appearance of a gigantic, if asymmetric, snowflake or a spider's web. These sky-bridges are of all sizes, from lofty promenades for small groups of pedestrians to the mighty causeways used to transfer Knights from one part of the Eyrie to another. Given its location, much of the Eyrie's upper spires are given over to maintenance areas and hangars for the Pegassine Air Force, easily the largest independent command of aircraft within all of Adrastapol's House armies. The Eyrie's anti-air defences are notoriously well-developed, putting to shame even such impressive defences such as those located at Mount Imperius or even the Draconspire. Notable House Pegasson Knights *''Oracle'' - Oracle was the personal Knight armour of Marchioness Lauret Tan Pegasson. During the Donatos War, Oracle suffered a direct hit by an enemy Macrocannon during the First Attack on the Valle Electrum which damaged it beyond the Sacristans' abilities to repair while off-world. While the Marchioness was badly wounded, she ultimately survived and insisted that Oracle be salvaged. Although much of it was wreckage, Oracle’s Throne Mechanicum survived and was integrated into a new, heavily decorated Knight. This second incarnation of Oracle saw action in the Second Ork War and was of the Knight Paladin pattern. It carried many additional modifications from the standard design. Most tellingly, the Paladin's usual close combat weapon, the Reaper Chainsword, has been replaced by an Knight-sized version of a Power Claw usually wielded by a Castraferrum Pattern Dreadnought of the Adeptus Astartes. *''Perspicacia'' - The Knight Warden designated Perspicacia was the steed of Lady Nualah Dar Pegasson during the Second Ork War. *''Sagasitus'' - A Knight Paladin of great fortitude, Sagasitus was the mount of Lady Eleanat Dar Pegasson during the Donatos Uprising. The Machine Spirit of Sagasitus was especially powerful and competent in boosting the Knight's Auspex, which made it a perfect scout engine. The Sagasitus would survive the war on Donatos and eventually return to Adrastapol. The Knight and its pilot partook in all the great battles of the Second Ork War where they both earned much renown. *''Saggitaire'' - Saggitaire was the mount of Lady Tamsane Dar Pegasson during the war on Donatos Primus. One of the few survivors of House Pegasson, Saggitaire resolutely faced the maddened Archduke Dunkan Tan Wyvorn and his powerful Acastus Knight Porphyrion and successfully damaged it with its Thunderstrike Gauntlet before Lady Suset Dar Draconis delivered the killing shot. It would also illustrate itself during the Second Ork War. Notable House Pegasson Personnel *'Marchioness Elyssa Tan Pegasson' - The Marchioness Elyssa was the ruler of House Pegasson during the Skarjaw's invasion of Adrastapol. *'Marchioness Lauret Tan Pegasson, "The Lady of Miracles"' - Marchioness Lauret is the current ruler of House Pegasson, a position she has held since the reign of High King Tolwyn, which makes her the most senior lord of a Knightly House on Adrastapol. Having benefited from a great number of rejuvenat treatments, her perfectly smooth skins defies her true age. Known for her sagacity, the Marchioness' counsel was highly respected amongst Adrastapol's knightly Households. Piloting her Knight Oracle, the Marchioness participated in the Donatos War where she was believed to have been slain during the disastrous First Assault on the Valle Electrum when a Macrocannon shot scored a direct hit on Oracle. Her unexpected survival and speedy recovery earned her the epithet of "The Lady of Miracles," a title she now proudly bears. The wounds she suffered on Donatos Primus were extensive and her body had to be rebuilt using extensive Bionics. Both her legs and her right arm have been replaced by elegant augmetics, crafted from the finest materials and bedecked in jewels and silver ornamentations. Both eyes needed replacement so that the Marchioness now sports twin silver pupils that count amongst the finest achievements of the Adeptus Mechanicus. In order to recover her former beauty, the Marchioness spared no expenses, her scar-riddled body was treated with the best unguents and most expensive treatments the Magos Biologis could offer, completely erasing the ordeal she had been through. The Marchioness is known for her elegantly-crafted dresses which hide most of her bionic replacements and her long, plaited silver hair which is actually the cybernetic interface for her Knight's Augurs and Cogitators. Since the dire events of the Donatos War, the Marchioness has become a most pious adoratrice of the Imperial Cult, convinced that the Holy God-Emperor alone had saved her life. As outward sign of this newly one piety, the Marchioness seldomly leaves the company of her three Confessors, a habit which frequently led to tensions with the more secular-minded members of the Pegasson Exalted Court. When petitioned by the Knight of Ashes whom she recognized at the High King's envoy despite the lack of concrete proof of his office, Marchioness Lauret Tan Pegasson would be the fist ruler of Adrastapol to pledge her House's strength to the reconquest of Adrastapol. The Marchioness was present at all major battles of the Second Ork War and the military-genius behind the victorious lifting of the Siege of the Iron Maze which saved House Minotos from eradication. At the Siege of the Draconspire, the Marchioness led her House in a brave attempt to destroy Gorgrok Killfist's personal Gargant, a fat-bellied ork Titan bearing a strange EMP-weapon the Orks had previously used to knock out the Draconspire's defences. While the destruction of the Gargant also shut down most of the Imperial Knights on western part of the battlefield - including her own steed,'' Oracle'', - the recently reawoken steeds of House Draconis were able to charge out of the Draconspire and rout the horde. Reunited with High King Danial Tan Draconis, the Marchioness and her Exalted Court were given seats on the newly formed War Council of Adrastapol which oversaw the prosecuting of the remainder of the war against the Orks. *'Herald Quensil Dar Pegasson' - Sire Quensil was the official Herald to Marchioness Lauret Tan Pegasson at the time of the Second Ork War. *'Gatekeeper Eleanat Dar Pegasson' - As one of the few survivors of the Donatos Uprising, Lady Eleanat is a well-respected Knight who is justly famed for her accuracy and ability to track the foe. It was for this reason that High King Danial entrusted her with hunting down the Renegade Knights of House Chimaeros, a task she performed admirably. During the fierce fighting for the Loyalist mustering point and the Valle Electrum, Lady Eleanat displayed the qualities of a true leader, and was frequently entrusted with commanding her own lance of Imperial Knights. When High King Danial went briefly missing, Lady Jennika Tan Draconis gave her the command of the entire taskforce while she sought her brother. Like all women of House Pegasson, Lady Eleanat proudly bears her silvery-white hair in an elaborate weave. Following her return to Adrastapol, Lady Eleanat was elevated to Lauret's Exalted Court. In accordance withe her duties as Gatekeeper, it was she who was sent to welcome the Knight of Ashes and his fellow Freeblades as they arrived at the Eyrie. Having witnessed Luk's courage on Donatos Primus, Lady Eleanat implicitly trusted the Knight of Ashes and openly supported him at his hearing with Marchioness Lauret Tan Pegasson. Welcoming the chance to sally forth and bring the fight to the Orks, Lauret commanded several lances of Knights at both the Siege of the Iron Maze and that of the Draconspire. As with her mistress, Lady Eleanat was chosen to sit on the War Council of Adrastapol where her strategic insight was greatly appreciated. *'Sire Jeremial Dar Pegasson' - Sire Jeremial Dar Pegasson was one of the many Nobles slain on Donatos Primus. Although he survived both the initial treachery of Houses Chimaeros and Wyvorn and the ambush at the Arbites fortress, Sire Jeremial was slain in the final assault on the Valle Electrum. *'Lady Jessain Dar Pegasson' - Lady Jessain was a member of the Marchioness' expeditionary force that broke both the sieges of the Iron Maze and the Draconspire. Lady Jessain perished when she attacked the Northrise Battery, her Knight suddenly igniting with green fire as a result of a psychic attack by a covenant of Ork Weirdboyz. *'Lady Maia Dar Pegasson' - Lady Maia was a Pegasson Knight serving Marchioness Lauret Tan Pegasson during the Second Ork War. She was a vocal supporter of the Knight of Ashes when he came to plead for House Pegasson's strength in breaking the siege of the Draconspire, the ancestral home of House Draconis. She distinguished herself in the battles of the Second Ork War. *'Lady Nualah Dar Pegasson' - A highly capable warrior, Lady Nualah was personally selected by Marchioness Lauret Tan Pegasson to represent her House within Inquisitor Massata's guard as he investigated the ruins of Chimaerkeep, the former fortress of House Chimaeros. Her inquisitive mind made her a valuable ally and she was the first to raise concerns when Inquisitor Massata's diminished retinue emerged from the ruins of the Chimaerkeep. Loathe to openly violate the Inquisitor's orders to watch over the ruins in case of pursuit from the Chaos Cultists and Beastmen he had encountered there, it took the order of Lady Jennika Tan Draconis for the honour guard to pursue the Inquisitor and confront him. Saving Massata in extremis from a roaming party of Orks, Lady Nualah was left behind alongside the other members of the honour guard while the Inquisitor and Lady Jennika raced to the Draconspire to call off the Exterminatus-order Massata had given to his orbiting warship before coming to Adrastapol. *'Lady Shellaine Dar Pegasson' - Lady Shellaine was one of the few Knights present during Luk Kar Chimaeros' arrival at Lauret's court and a vocal opponent of the Knight of Ashes. *'Lady Tamsane Dar Pegasson' - Like Lady Eleanat, Lady Tamsane is a survivor of the gruesome battles of the Donatos Uprising, but where Lady Eleanat emerged as a great leader, Tamsane Dar Pegasson forged a reputation as a great warrior, a member of the trio of Knights that vanquished Archduke Dunkan Tan Wyvorn in his relic Acastus Knight Prophyrion. Lady Tamsane was subsequently promoted to command her own Lance of Knights and was often entrusted with the Marchioness' security. House Strength As the smallest Knight House of Adrastapol's many Noble households, House Pegasson never boasted the numbers to become a great military power. This seems not to have been always the case, but House Pegasson never truly recovered from the severe blow dealt to it during the Ork Wars. To reflect this status, House Pegasson was rated as a lower Tertius-rank House with a little over 30 active suits of Knight armour at its disposal before the Donatos War. Of these -- as seems to be the norm on Adrastapol -- House Pegasson favoured the Knight Paladin and its variants such as the Knight Errant and the Knight Crusader. However, Marchioness Lauret Tan Pegasson was able to field no less than 58 Knights at the Siege of the Iron Maze and still leave a sizable garrison at the Eyrie. In stark contrast to other Houses of Adrastapol, House Pegasson shuns the Knight Gallant due to its focus on hand-to-hand combat. Its low numbers among the House's complement have led House Pegasson to specialise in engagements at range. House Appearance House Colours The colours of House Pegasson are a light shade of blue -- referred to as "ice blue" -- and silver. House Arms The arms of House Pegasson bear the ancient heraldic symbol of the pegasson, or pegasus, a mythological creature of Old Earth. Signature Weapon On Adrastapol, each Knight House has developed its own martial traditions that reflect its way of thinking and the way it wages war. While less exotic than other Adrastapolian weapons, the Pegassian Rapier is a thing of beauty. For a sword, it is light and yet strong, capable of deflecting enemy blows and swiftly striking back. An elegant weapon, wielding it demands a great deal of training as its thin blade is unable to cleave through muscles and bone like the much heavier broadsword. The Pegassian Rapier relies on the accuracy of its wielder to hit and pierce the opponent's vital spots. This requires the rapier's wielder to be light of foot and more dexterous than the opponent before delivering precisely calculated blows. See Also *'Donatosian War' *'House Draconis' Sources *''Kingsblade'' (Novel) by Andy Clark *''Knightsblade'' (Novel) by Andy Clark *''Becoming'' (Short Story) by Andy Clark Category:P Category:Imperial Walkers Category:Imperium Category:Knight Houses Category:Walkers Category:Imperial Knights